


How to Survive a Convention

by Agiani



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28904193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agiani/pseuds/Agiani
Summary: "Convention du Comique", the best fandom convention ever, is coming to Paris and our favorite superheroes have been invited as guest speakers. Now the questions on everyone's mind are will the heroes actually be able to attend? What costume will I wear? And holy cow, is that actually Hawkmoth over there? How are we going to survive this weekend?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 20
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the "Unconventional Scenarios" series of stories written by Remasa, posted on FFN and AO3. The first one is "Fanboy". (Seriously, read them! They're awesome.)
> 
> This was originally posted as a one-shot in my "Bug Bites" collection. Since every single review said "more please", this is now going to be a full story. Please enjoy the first chapter of the expanded story.
> 
> And as always, I own nothing of the original Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir... just this plot.

**How to Survive a Convention, or  
**" **If Constant Attacks Don't Work then** **Try** **Something** **Else** **!"**

**Chapter 1**

Conventions are a huge thing. Any business person will tell you that sales and marketing conferences can make or break a business. Any fashion house will tell you that Fashion Week is an absolute _must_ if you are going to be a "Big Name" in fashion like Ralph Lauren, Coco Chanel, or Gabriel Agreste. And any nerd will tell you that the best conventions of all time center around pop culture.

Whether it's superheroes, movies, anime, sci-fi, or the resident Heroes of Paris, _Convention du Comique_ had it all: panel discussions, costume contests, games, themed merchandise (both popular and unique), a media room, stars, and this year even Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves. Maybe.

When it came to those who portrayed beloved characters, schedules were always hit and miss. Doubly-so for the actual superheroes who had real supervillains to fight. Still, Adrien Agreste was looking forward to going - if he could manage to convince his father.

Somehow, the convention had managed to obtain Adrien's personal email, and reached out to him because he had voiced Chat Noir in the animated Ladybug and Chat Noir movie. They wanted him on a discussion panel as a guest speaker along with others involved in the film.

As owner of the Ladyblog, Alya was asked to extend an invitation to Ladybug and Chat Noir via her blog (and to attend as a guest herself). The fact that Ladybug was supposed to be there was a huge bonus, in Adrien's opinion. He would take any chance he got to see his Lady. Plus being there as a guest would make it easier for his alter-ego to show up.

Adrien knew that between his photoshoots, piano lessons, Chinese lessons, and regular school his schedule was packed. And that didn't count his superhero duties. If he was going to get out of any part of his schedule, he had to present ironclad reasoning. So he researched, and plotted, and planned his arguments (thank heavens for Debate class!) and eventually had arguments to take to his father.

With this in mind, Adrien knocked on Gabriel's office door…

"Father?"

"What is it, Adrien," the designer said coldly. "What is so important that Nathalie couldn't take care of it? I've got a lot of work to do on the upcoming line."

"Then I'll make it quick. It's just that…"

"Just that what?"

"You know that _Convention du Comique_ is coming up soon, right?"

"What about it?"

"I've been asked to participate as a celebrity guest. You know, from voicing Chat Noir for the movie?"

"Yes. That was a good idea of mine."

Adrien skipped that statement and continued on with his request. "Well, I've been asked to come because it will make the discussion panels more complete. They'll have Christina V there. She voiced Ladybug in the movie, remember? Also Thomas Astruc, the director, and several others that were involved in the movie. I want to go."

"No."

"Why?" Gabriel stiffened for just a moment, but Adrien continued on. "It will please my fan base because this is exactly the type of event kids my age go to. I'll be wearing clothes from your line, so it will be good publicity for _Gabriel Fashions_. And if you're worried about my safety, remember that in addition to fencing I have training in several self defense techniques, there will be convention and building security there, and I assume you'll want my bodyguard to be there as my Plus One. So unless there's an Akuma attack or something, I should be okay." Adrien hoped his sincerity and logic would sway his father.

"Your schedule is already full, Adrien."

"I've checked that, too. There are no fencing tournaments or recitals coming up and I can rearrange my Chinese and piano lessons to accommodate the new schedule. And we just finished the major photo shoots for the most recent line, right? So unless there's something else in the works that you need me to model, we should be good there as well. Plus, Ladybug and Chat Noir are supposed to come in person! I don't want to miss seeing them." He didn't mention that there were other things he also wanted to see.

"They are?"

"If they can. I'm sure it will depend on if there are any Akuma attacks the day they're supposed to be there. I'd really like to see Ladybug again. I mean, she's saved me a few times, and I don't think I've ever really thanked her."

Gabriel thought a moment or two. While he didn't like Adrien getting hung up on seeing his enemy, the thought of being close to the miraculouses he needed was almost too tempting to pass up. Especially as his time was running out.

"Let me think about it."

"The convention will need an answer by next week. Thank you for thinking about it."

And with that, Adrien walked out of his father's office.

* * *

The next morning, school, or at least Ms. Bustier's class, was buzzing with excitement. After all they had not one, but two possible guest speakers at the upcoming _Convention du Comique_.

"Alya, you really got invited as a guest speaker?" Max asked.

"All due to my work on the _Ladyblog_. Can you believe it?"

"That's awesome!" Mylene commented.

"So cool," said Juleka.

"I'm happy that you got the invite, Alya. But I'm also sad."

"Why, Nino?"

"Because I won't be able to see my beautiful babe all weekend."

"Oh, you oblivious boy," Alya chided her boyfriend. " _Conv du Com_ is giving me a deluxe pass with backstage privileges, convention merch, and a Plus One. Who else would I ask?"

Nino chuckled. "You sly fox." Alya just grinned and patted his shoulder.

"If I'm allowed to go my Plus One has to be the Gorilla. For my safety, you know."

Marinette's mood dropped at that statement. Adrien's father had to let him go. He just _had_ to! If he didn't then Adrien would be stuck at home again, and it wasn't fair! Marinette hated seeing him stuck at home while the other kids their age got to experience life as a normal teenager. It was sad, and Adrien had too much sadness and loneliness in his life already.

"I really want to go, too. I want to see Ladybug again."

"And Chat Noir, right?" Marinette hated it when people left her partner out.

"Who cares about him," the snooty tone echoed across the room. "He's just Ladybug's sidekick." Adrien was used to hearing these types of statements, though he still didn't like them. On the other hand, Marinette's face quickly went white, then red just as fast.

"Chloe, he is _not_ just a sidekick! Ladybug couldn't do half the things she does without him by her side," Marinette defended passionately.

"Looks like _some_ one has a crush on a superhero." the ponytailed girl sing-soned. "And here I thought you only had eyes for a different famous blond boy."

Marinette paled again. "I do not have a crush on Chat Noir! I'm just tired of him being relegated to sidekick or ignored. You've heard how Ladybug talks about him, right? There's no way she thinks of Chat Noir as simply a sidekick. If she doesn't feel that way, then none of us should say that either." She turned to Adrien again. "You meant you wanted to see Ladybug _and_ Chat Noir, right?"

Adrien couldn't very well say he saw Chat Noir every time he looked in a mirror, so instead he replied, "Him too, of course. But she has literally saved my life before, and I haven't thanked her properly." He didn't know he was blushing.

"Ooh, does someone else have a superhero crush?" Of course Alya noticed his red face. Dang it!

"If I say 'maybe' will you let it go, Alya"

"Never."

"Then my answer is 'doesn't everybody in Paris have a crush on her?'" The way he looked down slightly along with the red now tinting his ears was a dead giveaway. Sighing, he said, "I just hope she's able to make it."

Marinette tried to hide her blush. Adrien wanted to thank her. And he quite possibly had a crush on her! Well, on her Ladybug persona anyway.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. I've put the word out on the Ladyblog, so I'm sure she knows about it. I bet she and Chat Noir will be there, unless there's an Akuma attack or something."

"Don't jinx it!"

Marinette had seen Alya's request via the Ladyblog, of course, but wasn't sure she wanted to go because she had assumed this was going to be like that interview with Nadja Chamak. But... if it meant she could see Adrien's face light up with his genuine sunshine smile, well, she was more inclined to go. Plus, she wanted to reassure people that she and Chat were fighting for the people of Paris against Hawkmoth and his Akumas.

Hmmm, maybe she could use this as a way to encourage people to be nicer to each other. The more she thought about it, the more she thought attending the convention would be a good idea. There was already too much negativity in the world, and Hawkmoth preyed on it. This would be a chance to counter some of that negativity.

"I hope you'll be able to go, Adrien. I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be there, if they can." Marinette's positivity brightened up Adrien's day. He just had to hope his father agreed to his request.

* * *

When Marinette got home from school that day, she was ready to jump into plans on how to convince Gabriel Agreste to let Adrien go to _Conv du Com_. She didn't get far.

"Marinette, before you go upstairs we need to talk to you."

She took her foot off the stair as she turned around to the diminutive woman. "Sure, Mom. What is it?"

"We received an email today." Both Sabine and her larger-than-life husband seemed to be bouncing on the balls of their feet.

"Should I be worried?"

"Not at all, my sweet," boomed Tom. "In fact it's good news. Apparently Jagged Stone isn't the only one who recognizes your talent."

Eyes narrowed and head cocked to the side, Marinette asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know that multimedia convention that's coming up, the _Convention du Comique_?" Marinette could only nod. "Apparently, someone mentioned that Clara Nightingale's 'Miraculous' originally had auditions for Ladybug, and that you were chosen."

"Okay."

"Sweetie, they want you as a guest speaker for a breakout panel."

"Me? Are you sure? I mean, I didn't actually do anything. The Chat Noir and Ladybug costumes were created by Gabriel Agreste, and even then Clara Nightingale was Akumatized before the music video was filmed. The original idea was scrapped, and the end result had everyday people in everyday clothes wearing masks."

"But you helped create the masks, sweetie," Sabine cooed.

Tom piped in, "And weren't most of the people actually in the video your friends?"

"So … they want me to talk about designing?" Marinette's face was a little pale as she couldn't decide whether to be excited at being chosen or being horrified at speaking in front of a crowd.

"And being chosen for the part originally. It's sort of a two-fer."

"They really want… me?"

"Yes, my lovely, talented daughter. You," Tom's booming laugh echoed. "So now the question is… are you taking me or your mother as your Plus One. Or do you have someone else in mind." Marinette could swear she saw her father wink just before Sabine elbowed him.

* * *

That night after patrol, Chat Noir approached Ladybug about the subject.

"Milady, before you leave for the night, did you see the request on the Ladyblog?"

"About attending _Convention du Comique_ , you mean?"

"Yes. I was wondering if we should plan to go," he asked hopefully.

"I didn't want to at first, at least not at Ladybug. But the more I think about it, the more I think we should. Hawkmoth permitting, of course."

Chat deflated a bit, "It would be just like him to ruin something that awesome."

Ladybug sighed heavily. "Ugh, just once I'd love for my life to not be interrupted by an Akuma. I've got so much on my plate as it is."

"I completely understand that, Milady. Between being Chat Noir and my civilian schedule, it's amazing I have time for friends at all. That's one of the reasons I want to go." Then he leaned forward, as if imparting a secret. "Plus they'll have all sorts of cool stuff from my favorite movies and shows, and I'll get to meet the people that make it happen!"

"I'm looking forward to some of the panels," she admitted. "I hear they're going to do a panel on the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie, and that the boy who voiced you in that movie is supposed to be there." Ladybug tried to hide her blush.

"I heard that, too. Plus the girl who voiced you as well as the director - you know, the guy who became Animaestro?"

"I actually have a bit of a bone to pick with him. Or the writer. It depends on who decided I was afraid of cats - which I'm _**not**_." The sparkle of defiance in her eyes spoke volumes.

"Glad to hear it, Milady," teased the leather-clad hero. "Seriously, though, we're planning on going?"

"Yes. I'm most likely attending as my civilian self, so I'll be on site and won't give my identity away. Assuming I can find places to transform."

"I'm working an angle like that for my alter ego as we speak. But I have another concern." Chat Noir leaned forward. "Have you ever been backstage for a large event like _Conv du Com_?" Ladybug's tilted head and confused expression gave him his answer. "I have. No matter how good an event is planned, something always goes wrong. Therefore someone is always backstage directing traffic, advising of last minute changes, and so on. We are going to need a way for our civilian selves to get the information without giving our identities away."

"Hmmm." Ladybug thought for a moment. "Burner phone? Uh, those are expensive and I don't have cash to spend on one. We could try something like Gugle's IP voice program, but I'm concerned about privacy because it's Web based. Ugh. If only we could forward our bug- and cat-phone numbers to our... civilian... phones. Chat! Let's try that."

"What, forward the cat-phone to my civilian phone?"

The brightness in Ladybug's eyes and her excited expression spoke volumes. "Yes! Talk to Plagg when you get home and try it. I'll do the same. Then in 90 minutes, I'll transform and call you."

"Sounds like a plan, Milady. Shall we?"

"We shall. Bug out!" Ladybug shouted as she flung her yo-yo across the city.

90 minutes later, Adrien Agreste received a call from an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Kitty?"

"Milady! It worked. I'm speaking to you on my civilian phone."

"Great. I'm calling from the Bug-phone. Mark this number, then give me 5 minutes and we'll test it the other way. Then I'll work on letting the convention organizers know that we'll try to attend."

* * *

Gabriel sat in the sanctuary below the mansion, a chair pulled up to the suspended animation unit holding his beloved Emilie. He stroked the clear cover by her face, bemoaning the fact that he was not able to touch her, and talked as if she could hear him.

"I have tried, my love. I keep trying and I fail." A tear leaked from his eye, something he would never allow anyone to see. "I promised you that I would do everything in my power to bring you back to me and restore our family." He stroked the coffin-like enclosure once more. "I see a lot of you in Adrien and it's hard not to push him away because of it. I feel so lost without you. You always understood him better than I do."

Gabriel steadied his breath. "Adrien approached me today, bypassing Nathalie. He's grown so much that sometimes I don't recognize him. He asked me about attending a popular media convention. I denied his request at first, but he'd come prepared with some good arguments. I must admit that the one that swayed me the most is the fact that Ladybug and Chat Noir will be there."

He looked at his dearest love through the glass once more, remembering the laughter she used to bring into the cold home. "I'm running out of time to save you, and I don't know what to do. None of my plans have worked." His glistening eyes were the only indication of his deep heartache.

"Master," the high-pitched voice of his Kwami spoke.

"Nooroo, I thought I said never to disturb me as I spoke with Emilie."

"Yes, Master. I just wanted to answer your implied question."

"Go on."

"You are running out of time to revive her. Akumatizing people isn't working, so why not try another method."

Gabriel's practiced glare at the purple sprite was known to cause even those with backbone to quit. "What are you on about, Nooroo?"

"Ask for help."

Gabriel crossed his arms and stared at the floating god of transmission - asking for help is not something he normally did, magical butterflies being the exception. "Explain."

"If you tell Ladybug and Chat Noir _why_ you desire to make the wish, they may have a solution you haven't thought of."

For once, the purple sprite made sense. And he knew where he would be able to see them. As a bonus, if it didn't work out there was usually someone ready to Akumatize at these things. The trick would be trying to talk without immediately going into battle mode. He'd have to think about this very carefully.

* * *

Two days later, as Adrien was eating his lonely breakfast and getting his schedule from Nathalie, he had a surprise visit.

"Adrien, I have decided to let you attend the _Convention du Comique_ , but I have certain stipulations." Gabriel said in a near monotone voice.

The blond model tried not to show his excitement - who knows what those 'stipulations' would be. "What are they?"

"First, we will try not to schedule photoshoots over the time of the event, but that means having extra ones beforehand or afterward. Your other extracurricular activities will be accommodated in a similar fashion."

Adrien nodded his understanding, as he'd already planned on rescheduling his extracurricular activities.

"Second, your grades must remain at the same high caliber I have always expected of you."

Also a standard condition in these deals, so Adrien nodded again.

"Third, you will not take your bodyguard as your Plus One. I will be attending instead."

Adrien's wide-eyes showed how unexpected it was. "Wait, really? You want to go to the convention with me?"

The older Agreste nodded. "It occurred to me that we rarely spend time together, and it seems I no longer know you as I once did. I want to rectify that."

"What about the fall line you're working on?" As much as Adrien wanted acknowledgement and love from his father, he also wanted some independence. Especially if he needed to find quiet places to transform.

"I'll still be busy and will probably need to step aside now and then to take care of business, but I can do that remotely through Nathalie as I've done in the past. I also want to learn more about the man you are becoming. That means sharing some of your interests, even if it isn't my personal cup of tea. And you did point out that this will be another way to connect with your fan base and therefore keep _Gabriel Fashions_ in the limelight. Besides, who could pass up the opportunity to meet the Heroes of Paris?" The corners of Gabriel's mouth barely twitched, but that was nearly a cheesy grin where the austere designer was concerned.

Adrien jumped up. "Thank you, Father!" he cried as he hugged the senior Agreste. Gabriel stiffened for just a moment before placing a fatherly hand over Adrien's shoulder.

"One other thing, Adrien."

Adrien was almost afraid to ask. "Yes?"

"It is my understanding that costumes are very popular at these types of conventions. Correct?"

"Yes, father."

"That means our normal attire would be out of place? We can't have that." Adrien cocked his eyebrow in query. "We will go in costume. In fact, why don't you use the Chat Noir costume I designed for Clara Nightingale's _Miraculous_ video and I'll design something else for myself."

Adrien stared at his father. This was nearly too much. "I'm not dreaming, am I? You really want to come to the convention with me? In costume?"

Gabriel frowned slightly at that. "You appear to be fully awake. Now, it's nearly time for school. Nathalie will send an official response accepting your guest appearance and coordinate our schedules."

Adrien was nearly out the door before he heard "One more thing." Adrien looked up at the austere designer. "Keep my attendance quiet for now. I don't want speculation from the press."

The teenager gave an enthusiastic, "Yes, Father," before heading out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More convention prep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, Chapter 2 of the full version of "How to Survive a Convention". Enjoy.
> 
> Update: Feb 27, 2021. I just noticed an error as I was re-reading this chapter, and have corrected. it.

**Chapter 2**

When Adrien arrived at school, he was practically purring and his smile was so bright Marinette thought the sun had dimmed. This was exactly the smile she loved to see.

"What's up with you, Sunshine," Alya asked. "You look like you got some good news."

"I'm going! Father agreed and Nathalie is confirming my scheduled attendance at _Conv du Com_ today."

"Awesome, Dude! I'm glad you can go." Nino smiled at his best friend.

"I'll be going, too!" Marinette was excited and honestly a little nervous. "Apparently someone told the organizers about the auditions for Clara Nightingale's _Miraculous_ video. They want me to talk about my experience and about the masks we ended up using in the end."

"Marinette, you should totally cosplay as Ladybug," Alya said.

"No! I mean, I can't do that."

"Why not, Mari? You'd be purr-fect." Adrien grinned. Marinette stared at him. "What? I'm going to be on that Clara Nightingale panel too, _and_ I voiced Chat Noir in the movie. I figured I should purr-actice."

 _Oh god,_ Marinette thought as she tried not to smile. Then she smirked. "Really, Kitty? Focus. Convention prep now, puns later." Her friends stared at her. "What? Tell me that's not what Ladybug would say."

"That's _exactly_ what she'd say, Mari. Seriously, girl! You should go as Ladybug," Alya cheered.

"I'm going to wear the Chat Noir costume Father made for the video, if that helps you make up your mind."

Alya nodded significantly toward Adrien. "You two would make the _cutest_ Ladybug and Chat Noir." The secret superheroes both blushed a little. Marinette shook her head. "Please, Mari?"

Marinette was grateful she'd gotten better at resisting baby doll eyes. "I promise I'll think about it." _Not very hard, though,_ she thought to herself.

"Now that that's settled, get a load of this," Alya's obvious excitement was infectious. " _Convention du Comique_ announced today that if you were Akumatized, and decide to come to the convention dressed as your Akuma villain, you get in for free - if you can prove who you are."

"Really?" Rose squeaked as she and Juleka passed by. "I want to go, but I was wondering how I could afford it."

"Now I really want to go as Lady WiFi. Mari, do you think you'd have time to help me get the costume?"

"Lady WiFi wouldn't be too hard to make," said Marinette, "though some of the others would be more difficult. I have no idea what I'd use for Bubbler, for example."

"Ugh, there's no way I'd want to go as Bubbler anyway," commented Nino. "I'll come up with a different idea."

"Marinette, could you help me with a Princess Fragrance costume?"

"Sure, Rose. I'll probably need you to pay for materials up front, though."

"Let's set up a shopping date, then."

"After school today?"

"Done."

* * *

Ten days later, Marinette's commissions were getting out of hand. It seemed that everybody wanted a Marinette-designed costume for _Convention du Comique_. Rose had picked up her _Princess Fragrance_ costume, she had Manon's _Puppeteer_ and Nathaniel's _Evillustrator_ on dressmaker dummies waiting for their final fittings, and she had just finished designing her own costume. Right now though, she had another costume-related issue.

"Alya, if you don't stay still I won't be held responsible for the consequences."

"I'm still," the Ladyblogger said as she bounced up and down with excitement. "Ouch!"

"I told you! Stay still, or these pins will find other places they're not supposed to go. The top looks good, but the gloves are finicky. And finding the right way to make the top and trousers blend so it looks like a bodysuit is tricky."

"It looks fabulous. I can't believe you got the WiFi symbol to glow like that. I love how the light changes."

"That's because it's actually detecting WiFi signal strength."

Alya's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

Marinette grinned from ear to ear, just seeing how excited her bestie was over the costume. "I couldn't have done it without Max. He helped with the electronics," Marinette said.

"Wow, girl! I can't believe you did that for me. You're the greatest!"

Marinette smiled, but ignored the complement. "Ok, that's as good as we're going to get right now. Take off the trousers so I can finish them. Now, what in the world has you so excited you can't stand still for two minutes?"

"You know how _Conv du Com_ asked me to extend an invitation to Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"How can I forget when we're literally in the middle of preparing for it?" Marinette took the unfinished pants to her sewing machine.

"Well, I got a response! I was able to get Ladybug and Chat Noir's official acceptance on video and put them in touch with the organizers. I'm not sure if I'm more excited about that or about the fact that I'll be on the same panel as Nadja Chamak."

"Alya, you're going to be awesome."

"Hmmm…"

"What?"

"I wonder if the secondary heroes are going to come."

"Have they been asked?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but wouldn't it be so cool to have them all together without having to fight Akumas?"

Marinette thought about it as she clipped the threads on her current project. "You know, I think it would. I mean there could be a main panel with all the heroes - right? What other panels could they be on?"

"Probably ones regarding their powers. For example Rena Rouge could discuss visual creations, like 3D computer images or drawings since that would tie in with her illusions."

"Maybe Viperion could speak about time management?" Marinette quipped, causing the two girls to laugh.

"All of them could speak about magic in fantasy and the real world - now that we know magic actually exists."

"You know something, Alya. You're right. Are you going to ask Ladybug about it?"

Alya was already tapping away on her phone, updating the Ladyblog. "Yup. I'm posting the question now, actually."

"When you're done with that, try this on," Marinette said as she handed her the finished trousers.

Alya tested it out. "Mari, this is perfect!"

"Great! Let me just finish the gloves, and then you are done."

Marinette was just finishing the final glove when their phones went signaled an Akuma Alert. "Hawkmoth, I swear I'm going to hunt you down if you keep this up. Ugh!"

"Gotta go, Marinette. Akuma battle to record, you know."

"Alya, be careful! You're still dressed as LadyWiFi. You don't want Ladybug and Chat Noir to mistake you for the current Akuma."

"Oops!"

One quick change later and Alya was out the door, allowing Ladybug to make her own quick change before she escaped out her skylight.

* * *

"Pound it!" the Parisian superduo said in their normal after-battle celebration. Miraculouses beeping, Ladybug gave Chat a signal that she needed to talk. They beat a hasty retreat to a secluded rooftop where they could recharge their Kwamis.

"At least this was a quick one, right Milady," Adrien commented as he sat around the corner from his partner.

"Yeah. I'm glad of that, too. I have so much on my plate right now."

"Me, too, actually. My civilian schedule is more packed than usual so that I can go t _o Conv du Com_."

"From what you've mentioned, that's saying something. Personally I'm up to my eyeballs in projects tied to the convention. Plus, I've got to prepare some notes for those panels I'll be on."

"How's that going?"

"Honestly, it's exhausting. Some subjects I can talk about for hours, but for others I'm scared to death. I'm not good at public speaking."

"It takes practice, that's for sure. Maybe we can meet up to go over talking points for the panels we'll do together."

"Hmmm, not a bad idea." Marinette smiled as Tikki finished her mini macaron. "Speaking of which, what do you think about having the rest of Team Miraculous join us?"

"That could be interesting. Not sure about Queen Bee, though."

"You're right on that, Kitty. Chloe has lost her superhero privileges after the Miracle Queen fiasco. She'd have to do a lot of repenting before I'd trust her with a miraculous again. But about the others, what do you three think?"

"As long as someone gives me cheese, I'm okay." Plagg hugged his current snack. "Oh, how I love thee Camembert. Let me count the ways…" and then he swallowed it whole.

"I'm not sure, M… Ladybug," Tikki squeaked as she nearly spoke her holder's name. "Won't we need someone to patrol in case Paris is attacked?"

"I thought about that, actually. Rena Rouge and Carapace will already be there in their civilian identities. I couldn't take that away from them, especially as Rena is scheduled as a guest speaker on a panel or two."

"Plus Hawkmoth will already know where we are, right Milady? And we'll be on site."

"You're right, Kitty." Marinette hummed as she thought. "Okay, I'll reach out to the convention organizers to see if it's a possibility. If it is, then I'll let you know so we can distribute the miraculouses ahead of time."

"Sounds good!"

* * *

To say the convention organizers were excited was an understatement. Not only did they receive word directly from Ladybug that she and Chat Noir would make _Convention du Comique_ (barring any Akuma attacks), but a short time later the heroes dropped by asking if they would like the rest of Team Miraculous to be involved. When Ladybug suggested that the various heroes could be part of different breakout sessions, the Program Director went nuts trying to figure out which heroes to pair with which panels.

In the end, it was decided that all the heroes would be attending the main panel and would drop in on other panels as they chose - and that this little tidbit would be kept as a surprise from the attendees.

Ladybug and Chat Noir went to the individual holders to ask them their opinions and advise them of the opportunity. Since everyone was attending the convention anyway, except maybe Kagami, they distributed the miraculouses a day or two before the event. Alya was especially excited - and warned not to post anything on the Ladyblog (or anywhere else) about the secondary heroes attending the convention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next ... convention time! Will you survive until the next update?


End file.
